back from CUSCO

It's the last day of May.

(I still mess up it's and its. I just had to look it up for the millionth time)

I can't believe that tomorrow will be June.

Then comes July and I'll be home.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Lets backtrack to last weekend.

I travelled with the program to the city of Cusco.

The capital of the Incan Empire.

Qosqo

El ombligo del mundo

And let me say that I love pretty much everything about this city. It's just so beautiful and rich in culture and history. We arrived on Thursday afternoon after a 1 hr flight from Lima. Our hotel was super nice. The beds were heavenly. I honestly contemplated a way to get it back to Lima, but it was a bit too large to check onto the airplane. So I just decided to enjoy it while it lasted. And the shower, don't even get me started. I wanted to live in that shower. The breakfast each morning was also delicious! Now don't worry, I did spend time outside of the hotel. So Thursday we had the afternoon free. I did some shopping and found a restaurant with surprisingly good pasta. In the evening we had a presentation from an expert in Andean music. He gave a little chat and then played some typical instruments.

Friday we went on a guided tour of el Valle Sagrado (The Sacred Valley) all day long:

-Saqsaywaman

-Q'enqo

-Pisac

-Chinchero

-and various stops along the way to take pictures.

Pisac and Chinchero were the places that I haven't been to, so that was interesting. Lots of Incan ruins. After a while they aren't really all that exciting. But I enjoyed the day.

Saturday was the BIG day that everyone had been waiting for: MACHUPICCHU

We got up, took a bus to the train station in Cusco, then got onto vans and travelled to Piscacucho because a lot of the railroad isn't functioning because of the flooding earlier this year. We had some beautiful views. We were actually in the clouds!

We finally got on the train in Piscacucho and headed to Aguas Calientes. From there it was about a 25 minute bus ride up to MachuPicchu. It is just as beautiful and enchanting as it was 3 years ago. I took a ton of pictures!

After the tour we had some free time to wander around and explore. We even stumbled upon the "llama room". Then Amelia, Chris and I found ourselves a nice little terraza with a great view and (illegally) ate our snacks that we had packed for lunch. Then we took some more pictures, and made our way back down to Aguas Calientes to do a little shopping before catching the train back. It was a long trip back to the hotel and we arrived around 11:30 at night.

We were up early on Sunday to catch our flight back to Lima. I was back in my house in Surco by 2 pm.

I enjoyed the trip although I couldn't shake this weird feeling that I had the whole time. Since I have already been to Cusco and such nothing was really *new* and *exciting*. Don't get me wrong, it was great and I enjoyed seeing everything. But I just felt like I was missing out on the real Cusco. It was hard for me to just be a tourist. I desperately wanted to get the real feel for the city. But I just couldn't in such a short time. I just want to be a part of the beauty of the city. To sit down and have a conversation with someone. But its just not possible. I felt like the only thing that the people of Cusco see and think of when they look at me is a huge dollar sign. It's hard. I wanted to talk, to get to know them, hear about their life. I've decided that getting to know the people is the best way to know a culture or city. And that takes time. Time that I just didn't have in Cusco. I'm starting to see the value in living in a place, becoming a part of it and letting it become a part of you. As much as I love traveling and seeing new things, I've also started to value familiarity and relationships more and more. I like Cusco in a very superficial touristy kind of way. In Spanish when saying that you've been to a city or place or are familiar with it you use the verb conocer, which is the same one you use for knowing people. Which I find very interesting. I'd say that the deeper level of conocimiento (knowledge) of a place takes time. And the time is well worth it. Thats what I want to spend my time doing - conocer la gente y la cultura (getting to know the people and the culture). And it's going to take a while, but I think I'll enjoy the process.

2007 and 2010

I've changed,

but the scenery hasn't.

My homes

Another week has gone by.

Here I sit on Saturday afternoon relaxing at in my room at home.

Wait, did I just say that? My home?

I think I did.

Strange to think about, but this crazy, crowded, noisy, colorful, friendly, overwhelming, beautiful, dirty, big city has become home to me. Actually now that I think of it, I think I actually have four homes. Four places that are familiar and I feel at peace when I'm there.

1. 55 Pleasant Street (obviously)

(old picture, I know)

Lived here my whole life. This is and will always be my home.

Things I LOVE and miss about this home:

-the color

-my dad's garden

-my bed

-my ceiling fan

-our screened in deck

-my family

-being able to tell who is coming up the stairs just by the way they walk

-driving

-milk from Richardson's

2. 255 Grapevine Road

Things I LOVE and miss about Gordon:

-the professors

-Jenks

-granola and yogurt for breakfast in Lane

-spinach bagels

-mozzarella sticks

-Catacombs on Sunday nights

-evening chapel

-my roommate(s)

-my friends

-Chester's

-melty sandwiches

-familiarity

-the languages and linguistics department

-GCSM

3. La casa de la esperanza

Things I LOVE and miss about La casa:

-the niños

-speaking spanish

-the workers

-profe and maestra

-"Buenas noches señor Jesús"

-Oxxo

-rice milk

-the color yellow

4. 278 Juan de Rada

Things I LOVE about living in Lima:

-speaking Spanish

-my friends (both estadounidenses y peruanos)

-my host family

-the way your shoes squeak when you walk in my house

-my grandfather's parrot

-my mom's hot chocolate

-maní confitado

-being near the ocean

-fruit

-traveling

-canchita

-CBU

So there you have it. The four places that have become home to me. I feel so blessed.

And now for a quick recap and update on my life.

Classes continued as usual this week. I got my grade back for my lit midterm - 13. (The scale is 1-20) So at least I passed. Wednesday was my brother Mario's birthday. So I met up with my family at a church and then we went out to dinner at an anticuchería. So good. The only bad part, we left around 10 pm. Everyone loves grilled cow's heart at 10:30 at night, right? Well at least Peruvians do. So it was a pretty late night, then up early on Thursday for class. My music professor has been doing really well at coming to class and relatively on time.

Thursday at CBU our topic was relationships (guy-girl ones in particular). It was pretty entertaining to say the least. I've heard this talk so many times before, but its always good to hear. My favorite metaphor was lomo saltado (a popular peruvian dish). So what makes a good plate of lomo saltado? Well, you've got to have some good lomo, rice, onions, potatoes fried perfectly crispy and all that. Now imagine that nice plate sitting in front of you, BUT it's raw! It's so good, but you can't have it just yet. You've got to wait until its cooked. Hahaha. Amelia, Chris and I joked about that all afternoon long, and we're still laughing about it. Although it is a good metaphor. So we covered a variety of topics having to do with love. It was good.

Thursday night I met up with Laura and headed over to a little café near her house. It was wicked good! I ordered a pizza margarita. Probably the best pizza I've had in Peru. And it closely rivals an old way from Riverview, now thats saying something. Then we stopped in a little store on our way to her house and bought two candy bars and a bag of cereal to snack on. Once we got to her house we watched some episodes of the office and just chilled. Friday morning I was up early to go to Deporte y Vida. Too bad that I was trying to get on a micro during rush hour. Every micro was full. So I called Laura and we decided that the taxi could just pick me up on the way. To make a long story short, I ended up walking like 27 blocks to meet the taxi. So I got my exercise. Then we arrived at Deporte y Vida and no one was there! A man told us that no one would be coming. So we got back in the taxi and headed back to Miraflores. I ended up back home and slept for about 2 more hours. Which was really nice. Then I met up with Amelia and we headed over to Caitlyn's house with Audrey and Laura. Caitlyn had made some fresh salsa! So yummy! So we had fun, ate a lot and laughed a lot too! I didn't get home till around 1 am and didn't get to bed until 2. So then I slept until 12. I got to skype chat with my wonderful friend Claire which was nice. Tonight I'm meeting up with some friends from CBU to go see Robin Hood.

**Alright, I just got back from the movies. Robin Hood was awesome. I highly recommend it.

Also, today is a very special day.

It just so happens to be the birthday of my very best friend, Sarah Elizabeth Moniz.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH!!

I'm so blessed to have you as a friend to share life with.

Everything from Pioneer Girls and Camp Cherith to track to VBS teachers to "camping" in my backyard to Growth Group to going to the beach to watching church softball games to just being together. I miss you very much. I love you Sarah.

Las Aventuras de Abby y Amelia

This past weekend was full of adventures for Amelia and I! Let me fill you in:

So Thursday I went to classes and then met up with Amelia in Parque Kennedy to go to the bookstore and buy El túnel by Ernesto Sábato, which I have to read by next monday. After that we headed to my house and had lunch together with Ruth and Estela (the empleada in my house). After lunch we had to do a few errands: bank, put money on our cell phones and get altitude sickness pills. Then we met up with our friend Dyago and walked down Ayacucho (the street I live off of) to a Andean fair. We walked around there and checked it out. It was pretty cool. Lots of people just selling their artesanía and food and such. Then we said goodbye to Dyago and hopped on a micro to Larcomar where we were meeting our program for dinner and a show. The restaurant is called La Dama Juana and they have a buffet dinner full of delicious food and then there is a show of a bunch of typical peruvian dances. My favorite was the scissor dancers. It was super fun and really good food! Then we headed home for the night.

I woke up on Friday morning and I wasn't able to go to Deporte y Vida because I had to be over at Amelia's house around 1 to get picked up by the taxi to go to the airport. So I slept in a bit, took a shower and packed for the trip! I left around 12:30 to catch a micro to Amelia's. I got there just in time for lunch, lucky me! Stuffed zucchini with rice, and ice cream for dessert. I love eating at her house. Then Erick the taxi driver arrived and took us to the airport. We got there, checked it and met up with Yaz, Samantha, Aurelia and Madoka (the other girls that we were going to travel with). We flew Peruvian Airlines which is relatively new and very cheap, but really nice. The flight was only 1 hour and 10 minutes (as opposed to 15 hours on a bus), which is shorter than my micro ride home from la Católica during hora punta (rush hour). So we arrived and got into two taxis from the airport to the Plaza de Armas. From there we walked to our hostel, where our friend Connor was already staying. He had befriended the owner and got us a good deal - 15 soles for one night (about 5 dollars). The lady also called the travel agency and got us a good price for the tour - 100 soles for 2 days, 1 night trek into Colca Canyon. So we were pretty excited about that. We met up with this guy Fernando that Yaz, Sam and Connor know from la Católica and he shows us around a bit and we eat dinner at Mamut, a sandwich restaurant. We then walked around trying to find an open bakery that had alfajores arequipeños, but didn't have any luck. So we headed back to the hostel and went to bed.

Saturday morning we were up at 3 am to get picked up by the travel agency. So we were up and there were two other couples at our hostel going on the tour with us, one from Canada and one from England. They were both really nice. So we drove for about 3 hours towards Colca. We had to pay to get into the reserve. The normal price is 35 soles, but we as estudiantes nacionales (national students) were able to get in for only 3.50!! So great!

I'm a condoooooooooooor

CONDOR

Cruz del Condor

you can't really see, but there is a little cross up there where

they used to sacrifice llamas and alpacas and the condors

were attracted to the blood, so now this is a

good place to view the condors

Then we stopped at a restaurant for breakfast and then continued on to Cruz del Condor, a place where you can go and view the condors. It was so pretty and absolutely breathtaking. I absolutely love the Andes mountains. We were at a pretty high altitude (4,700 meters = 15,420 ft) but we didn't get sick! Yay! I somehow actually felt more alive and had more energy than I do here in Lima. I think its all the fresh air and it also might have something to do with the mate de coca (tea made from coca leaves). So the condors were pretty cool and really big. Then we took the bus for like 45 more minutes and got out to start our hike.

We get out and our guide Pepe explains whats going to happen. So we're going to hike down the canyon for about 3 hours, then cross the river and hike for another half hour until we reach the little pueblo where we'll eat lunch. After lunch it'll be another 3 hours to get to Oasis where we'll be spending the night. Woah, Amelia and I had no idea that we would be hiking for like 7 hours. So off we go! We start going down the canyon. Its pretty fun, going down is a little rough on the knees and toes, and you have to be careful that you don't slip, but I kind of like it. Unfortunately Sam was wicked sick so we had to stop a lot and wait for her to throw up. But Amelia and I had a lot of fun. So the big group eventually split in two, Connor and the other two couples with Pepe, and Amelia and I with the other girls with Renero, the junior guide (18 yrs old). We felt kind of bad for Renero, but he was really nice. So it took us about 4 and hours to get down to the river. Then we crossed and had to go up a little bit. Going up is a whole lot harder for me, because its just harder to breathe at a high altitude. But we made it to the pueblo for lunch and Pepe was there waiting for us.

The path going down

He had sent the other group ahead with another guide. After lunch we had a little discussion about how to get Sam to Oasis. We decided it was best for her to get a mule to ride. So thats what we did. So Sam gets on a mule and we start off again. There was more going up this time. We are walking and its getting dark! Luckily the guides have 2 flashlights and the lady leading Sam's mule has one as well. So we're going down the canyon and its pitch black and all we have is a flashlight. So it was really hard. At the end when we were going up some more it was Amelia and I at the back with Pepe and Renero. They offered to take our backpacks, at first we said no, but they insisted so that made it a lot easier for the last 20 minutes or so. We finally arrived to Oasis and had dinner. Soup, spaghetti with tuna sauce and mate de coca. Lets just say I didn't eat much. Then Pepe asked if anyone wanted to get a mule to go back up tomorrow and he would call his friend. Amelia and I didn't even think twice, we told him yes please! Then Pepe and Renero led us to our bungalows. Yaz, Sam, Aurelia and Madoka were in one and Amelia and I got our own. The guides chatted with us for a bit and apologized for the tension during lunch. Oh yeah, forgot to mention that. There was a bit of a discussion during lunch and everyone was upset and tired so some not nice words were thrown around a bit. But they apologized and we forgave them and said that we understood and that the important thing was that we all made it safely. I think we were there favorite people in the group. =) So then they left us for the night with the head lamp because there is no electricity in Oasis so it was pretty dark in our room. Amelia and I got into bed and told life stories. Then fell asleeeeeeeeeeeeep.

Our beds in Oasis

We woke up at 5:30 and met up with Madoka and our mule man around 6. So we got onto our mules and headed up! It was such a good choice to take the mules. Probably the best decision I made all weekend. So you know, we're just riding these mules up the canyon. We had amazing views! It was a bit scary when the mules tried to pass each other on the super skinny paths, or when they would like run up some steep steps. Also for some reason they always seemed to want to walk wicked close to the edge. Yikes! But it was fun. We passed everyone else and I felt a little guilty, but not really.

So we finally made it to the pueblo where we were told to wait for Pepe. So Amelia and I got off, paid the man for the mules, made a bit of small talk and said goodbye. We were in a small field area and just sat down for a while, seeing as we could barely walk. So we were just hanging out and decided to do some stretching and give each other back massages. That was a very good idea. Then after most of our group passed, we headed into town and met them at the restaurant for breakfast.

Piggy hanging out in Colca Canyon

We waited for Pepe and Renero to arrive with Aurelia and Sam. Then we got back into the bus and were joined by a couple Jake and Mel from NY that Yaz met in town and were looking for a ride back to Arequipa. They were pretty cool. They design leather bags and travel around the world gathering inspiration and fabrics. So we headed to the thermal baths. Amelia and I didn't feel like going in so we just rested in the van. After that we got lunch at a buffet and went to a volcano lookout. The lookout was at 4,910 meters and it was really cold and windy. Alright, so not cold like winter back home, but the wind made it cold.

Little pyramids made out of rocks by the locals to gain the favor of the gods

After that we headed back to Arequipa. When we got back to the city we found a little café to have a quick dinner. Amelia and I split an oreo sundae. Then we got a taxi back to the airport and headed back to Lima.

We got back to Lima around 10:30 and Erick the taxi driver was waiting for us. As we were driving home I was thinking, man its good to be home. I don't always like living in a big city, but it has become home to me. And its always nice to come home. So I got home, took a shower and went to bed.

Monday I got up and went to class. Had a bit of trouble going up and down stairs and walking around, but I did it. Then today I decided to take a day off and just relax. So I didn't go to music class, but I'll just get the notes from Aleece. No big deal. And its a good thing that I was here because I just met up with Moisés and got a package from Sarah Moniz. (Here's the connection, Sarah sent a package for me down with Abbey D'Agostino who was here in Lima for her senior internship with Masco and stayed with Moisés, who it turns out lives a few blocks away from me.) So after I finish writing this I'm going to call Sarah. Because I miss her. And she's the bestest best friend in the world. And I'm not just saying that because she sent me peppermint patties and Annie's Mac and Cheese.

I know its a good day when...

...I get on the micro during rush hour in the morning and get a seat right away.

...someone I know gets on the same micro as me.

...I miraculously make it to school in less than an hour (cutting off about 30 minutes from my usual commute time).

...the hot water comes out more than a trickle in the shower.

...I get hot chocolate for breakfast.

...when my micro is racing the micro that Chris is on.

...I get to Ayacucho and only have to wait a few minutes to catch a micro.

...I'm on the micro with the nuns and they offer to hold my bag.

...I get to eat bread shaped like a baby for breakfast.

...the vending machine still has oreos.

...getting onto Javier Prado doesn't take forever and a day.

...I get a letter from my Mom.

...I don't get attacked by deer number 14.

...I get out of class early.

...I correctly use the subjunctive in a conversation.

...I'm able to make my host family laugh. (At least I have found a sense of humor in Spanish)

...I remember to put my Burt's Bees chapstick in my pocket.

...I cross everything off my to-do list.

...I have spontaneous skype dates.

...I have scheduled skype dates.

...I get to talk to my parents.

...my Mom emails me updates about life in Wenham at some ungodly hour early in the morning.

...they have good bananas at the arte cafeteria.

...Juan Carlos sings "A Whole New World" from Aladdin during class.

...we get to watch a movie during music class.

...I am able to spend time at Amelia's house.

...I see Amelia's host dad Alejo on campus and he waves to me.

...Mark Stowell emails me.

...the sun comes out.

...I can wear a scarf.

...I find a funny/cute video on YouTube.

...my host mom leaves me cake and grapes for dinner.

...I get to take a nap.

...I can hang out with some peruvian friends.

...I start using peruvian slang in conversation.

...I get into bed and immediately fall asleep and don't wake up until my alarm goes off.

...I realize that I am exactly where I want to be and where God wants me to be.

Alright. So its Wednesday night which means that I only have one more day of classes this week and then its 3-day weekend time for me!!! This weekend is going to be especially exciting because Amelia and I are flying down to Arequipa with some friends and going to Colca Canyon! We're flying down on Friday and coming back Sunday. So it'll be a quick trip, but it'll be good to get out of the city and breathe some fresh air.

So thats all for now. I'll update next week and probably have some wicked cool pictures to share as well.

PS-Just for you Mom, yes Arequipa is in Peru. In the South. Here is a map.

Midterms, Sea Lions, Cajón y mi mamá

This week was a bit stressful. I had midterms, which was wicked intimidating. But I got through it and I feel pretty good about the tests. My music one was easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy. It took me about 10 minutes, then I looked over it twice and was ready to leave 15 minutes into the exam. Unfortunately we had to wait until they closed the testing room a half-hour into it. So I waited around for about 15 minutes. The questions were true-false and matching and we even got to use our notes from class. It was a beautiful day. My other test, not so beautiful. We were told that there would be a poem from each of the 3 poets that we have studied thus far in class. All we had to do was analyze them and include biographical information about the poets in our analysis. Needless to say, I was a bit scared. When I got to the test we only had to choose 2 out of the 3 poems. That was a relief. And the foreign students were able to use dictionaries, what a kind soul our professor is (unless of course you arrive to class late). So I did my best on that exam and thats all that I could do. I hope he realizes that its a foreign student when he grades it and goes easier. Oh yeah, thats another thing to talk about, the whole formal system with tests. So you get checked in to the test room and have to show your ID. Then you sit at an assigned desk. On the test booklet the corner with your name and ID number gets ripped off and collected so that the grading is anonymous. So its pretty strict. During my lit exam one guy had to go to the bathroom and one of the proctors escorted him to and from the bathroom. Intense, right?

Ok, so I've still got to fill you in on swimming with sea lions. What a great experience!! So we all meet up, get on the bus and head to Callao - the main port in Lima. From there we get ferried out to our boat. The boat ride out to the islands was like 45 minutes to an hour. So we get to where the sea lions are and the guides are like "Ok, whoever wants to go swimming come on down here and get a wet suit on!" I had been debating the whole time on whether or not I was going to go in. But I figured, when am I ever going to be able to do this again? So I went for it. Wriggled my way into an already wet wetsuit and put on the special life vest. Our instructions from the guide were as follows: "Just jump in the water. Try to stay together. Don't make too much noise. They will probably touch you but thats ok." That was it. Alright, so into the water I go. Initially it was shockingly cold. Then I started warming up. There were SO MANY SEA LIONS. Like hundreds of hundreds. Apparently they were a ton swimming around below us. And they were loud. And kind of smelly. But it was just so much fun. I would never have imagined that it would be so much fun, but it was!! Then we got out and back onto the boat. It was just as difficult to get the wetsuit off. Then I went to get some clothes on and started to feel a bit light-headed. So I laid down for the rest of the trip and snacked on pretzels and chifles.

Getting ready!!!

Getting back onto the boat! I survived!!

On Sunday I met up with my friend Aleece from my music class at McDonald's to have a little study session. Since our professor hadn't come to class the whole previous week, we really had no idea what to expect on the exam. So we just went through our notes once and filled in each other's gaps. After that we figured that we deserved a treat. So we went and got some ice cream.

I got Mickey and she got Pikachu

Then Sunday evening I went over to Amelia's house to "study" and make cards for our friends at CBU who have been wicked stressed out about their exams. On Tuesday we met up with them for lunch. I think they appreciated the cards. After lunch I hung around campus and did some studying. Then after Amelia was done with her exam I walked down to Plaza San Miguel to the movie theatre with Audrey, Caitlyn and Amelia. We saw Iron Man 2. Tuesdays are half price at the theatres in Lima, so it was only 7.50 soles. Speaking of cheap things, Aleece and I were able to find some cool tie-dye shirts for 2.50 soles each. So we each bought 4. =)

Friday I went to Deporte y Vida for volunteering. We got there and it was oddly quiet and there were no kids. Uh-oh. But one of the teachers Elisabeth was there. So we chatted with her for a little bit and waited for some kids to show up. And some did. So we helped a bit with homework, cut out some letters for a banner and ended up playing some games with the kiddos. It was fun and very relaxing. Friday night I went over to Amelia's with Audrey, Laura and Caitlyn and just hung out and made butterscotch brownies. So yummy.

This morning we had a cultural activity, we learned how to play the cajón. It was really fun.

This is what it looks like

here is a link to YouTube on what it sounds like

and another

Then Audrey and I grabbed lunch at McDonald's and got some mother's day cards for our host moms. Then tonight I went over to Amelia's house and we hung out with Dyago. We were going to watch a movie, but Amelia was sure to fall asleep, so we just spent some time hanging out and showing each other videos on youtube.

So I started writing this blog on Saturday afternoon and then left to go to Amelia's house and now its 1 am so I should probably wrap it up. But its mother's day, so here's a shout out to my mommy.

I love you Mom. Happy Mother's Day.

Thanks for everything you are. I have learned so much from you.

You have taught me what it looks like to be a godly woman, mother and wife.

I miss you terribly, but don't worry, I'll be home soon.

All my love,

your Abigail